When the call came, it wasn’t the news anyone hoped for. On August 17, 2025, Whisper Owens and her eight-month-old daughter, Sandra McCarthy, were found inside their submerged 2006 Trailblazer beneath a bridge near Oakdale, California. After vanishing July 15 while driving from Fresno to Sacramento, their disappearance had launched a desperate search.

Whisper was discovered holding Sandra, as if shielding her in their final moments.

Her brother, Richard Owens, spoke through tears, mourning both mother and child. Whisper leaves behind three children, now forced to grow up without their baby sister. Though the cause remains unclear, family members find some comfort in closure after weeks of agonizing uncertainty.

Whisper had stopped at her mother’s and brother’s homes that day, even appearing on security footage before disappearing. Volunteers and search crews never gave up.

Richard later shared gratitude to the community that rallied for them. Though gone too soon, Whisper and Sandra are remembered with love—a devoted mother’s final act, and a child whose life had just begun.